~ An Alzheimer's Journey and Beyond

Loss

Once again, just when I thought I was doing great, I found myself in tears on four different occasions today. All it takes is a nice word or an act of kindness, a thought, or even just a look. It catches me off guard time and time again. I have so much thinking to do and a million things I want to read to try and understand the unexplainable. And write… I suddenly feel as though I could write for days and days.

I recently (and thankfully) crossed paths with a lovely woman through my Caregivers writing; earlier this week she shared part of a beautiful poem by Naomi Shihab Nye on her blog. The full poem can be found here, but what follows is the first stanza – it truly spoke to me. Thank you, Elaine, for sharing this at just the right moment.

KindnessBefore you know what kindness really isyou must lose things,feel the future dissolve in a momentlike salt in a weakened broth.What you held in your hand,what you counted and carefully saved,all this must go so you knowhow desolate the landscape can bebetween the regions of kindness…
~Naomi Shihab Nye